Sunday Musings

A  brilliantly sunny, but cold, Sunday here in southern Ontario…icicles are dripping, but once the sun disappears they’ll soon be solid once more.

As Pam mentioned, we had a productive day of revising yesterday.  Amazing how when you read something out loud, you catch errors missed previously.  But I also find that’s when I can really get into our characters and make them more real.  For me that’s especially true of Dorothy and her alter ego(s).  We’ve nearly made it to the end of this first revision and I have to get cracking on typing up what has been reviewed.

We’ve discussed putting more of a focus on Dorothy in this (first?) story; highlighting her strengths to have her as the central protagonist more so than what we have done to date.  Polish, revise, review and then start over again!   Writing truly is a craft and I can envy those who have made the jump from writing to being successfully published.  But for now patience and perseverance are called for. Oh, did I mention perfection also?   Or is that the unattainable?

Almost the end of March – unbelievable!  Having the daylight hours stretch ever longer is so welcome after winter’s darker days, but I don’t want to rush into the sweltering humidity that all too often seems to arrive just as spring is getting started.  The weather will never be perfect for all will it?

And with spring of course comes Income Tax Time….ugh!    Well I have just finished the dreaded task and can put it aside for another year thank goodness.  Numbers are not my strong point so I’m really grateful for electronic tax filing programs that I can breeze through and with the push of a button send off to the government’s tax reviewers.  Not that’s a job I know I would not want!   I much prefer words over numbers, although working in a financial institution has made me appreciate what numbers can do.

Monday is just a few hours away and the work week begins anew, but at least no snow is in the forecast and the driving should be “normal”.

Here’s to having a week with no disasters – big or small, across the globe or in your own home – and may we all appreciate the wonderful things we can enjoy from this life.

Cheers!

Liz

GPS!

I was wishing I had the GPS system I received for Christmas as I headed out to Liz’s place in Guelph this morning. I had general directions and was sure I would recognize the cut off but after a few attempts and making a couple of u-turns I phoned for help and arrived a few minutes later. It does not help when you don’t carry a phone as I had to find a call box and they are in short supply these days.

After a surprise snow storm on Wednesday that crippled traffic and covered up my tulip bulbs, today was brilliant sunshine but still very cold. Roads were dry though so it made it easier to travel around the different campuses at Guelph University when I was lost this morning. There are seven colleges in all; the main ones are agriculture and veterinary medicine. So all was not lost except for me!!! I did get to see some really diverse architectural buildings and residences. There was also the Arboretum that is frequented by horticulturists and botanists from around the province. This is all within 10 minutes of Liz’s place.

After I was introduced to the four cats again we settled down for some revising. With lots of coffee, chocolate covered almonds , yummy biscotti and a break for lunch we managed to read and revise six chapters before calling it a day at 4pm. We were very happy with what we had accomplished. I made the trip home by 5pm. No detours this time.

An election was called today for May 2nd. That’s all I will say on the subject today. Let’s see what they all have to say first before I make any comments. The back stabbing has started already.

I have mentioned Louise Penny many times before as one of my favourite authors. She has a new nomination today to add to her many accolades. This evening is the judging of the Dilys Award given out by the Independent Mystery Booksellers for the book they most enjoyed selling last year. Lots of great nominees but of course I am rooting for Louise. Good luck Louise.

I try and learn a new lesson every day. So what did I learn today.......
1. Do not go out of the house without a GPS system when you get lost at every turn. That is why my sons bought it for me!!!
2. This is not a new lesson but needs to be repeated often. If one continues to eat chocolate covered almonds as if your life depends on them one will most certainly always look like the Goodyear blimp!

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

Vernal Equinox

It is the first day of spring or as it is known, the Vernal Equinox. The view from my window gives all indication that it is true. No snow in sight and green emerging everywhere. The creek is flowing quite fast as the snow has now melted. I really should take a walk around the ravine but it is still very muddy and the temperature hovers at 6 degrees. I will wait until it warms up some more.

I love Sunday’s. Hopefully I have finished the housework stuff and can have some peace and quiet in my office. Andre Bocelli is blaring from the stereo and I am settled at the computer ready to finish my short story. Just because it is short does not mean it takes a short while to write!!. I have been blocked for a few weeks and then my computer crashed last Thursday. Woe is me; I thought I had lost what I was working on. Liz will be proud of me as I had started to back up my work on those travel drives. For some reason the computer has recovered but it is stuck at July 2010. It is all a mystery to me. @#$%^

My problems are so very trivial compared to the people in Japan and Libya. As I watch the horror and listen to the news reports on TV I am continually astonished at the resiliency and courage they are all showing at their darkest moments.

It is my turn to go to Guelph next Saturday to do some revisions on Body Perfect. No, this is not the perfect way to write a book but it is the best we can do. I had to have Liz remind me where we left off as it has been ages since we had a session. This is a stage of the collaboration we have to do together. We have finished Chapter nine so on to ten and beyond. The one good thing about having a break between sessions is that you see the story with fresh eyes and notice either glaring holes or mistakes.

On a personal note I want to say Happy Birthday to Liz. Hope you had a good w/e JT.
The other congratulations due is my sister Caroline and husband James will be grandparents for the first time this year. Welcome to the club.

No more procrastinating. I am off to try and finish my story.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

What's in a Weekend?

How the world can change so quickly.  The devastation that has rocked Japan is mind boggling and will no doubt have world wide consequences.  Once again we are humbly reminded of our fragile existence and that life shouldn’t be wasted. 

Closer to home this has been a very busy weekend.  Came home from work Friday, had a very light supper and then went straight to bed. No, not sick, but trying to get some sleep in anticipation of heading to the airport, with a friend,  for a 2:00 a.m. pick up of friends returning from a mission trip.  Managed to sleep a couple of hours and then got up to get ready to leave at midnight.  Thankfully the flight wasn’t delayed and after dropping off our friends, I was back home in bed by 4:30.  They had an amazing time with countless stories to tell of their time spent with a medical team in the Dominican, and I look forward to seeing some photos soon.

Well, that’s not so bad, you’re thinking.  After all, a good party might not end until the wee hours and then one heads to bed to sleep in.  Except in my case, the party comes AFTER the sleeping.  Yesterday was a birthday party for two of my grandsons, Michael and Noah, whose birthdays are nine days apart.  No self respecting grandmother could NOT attend.   So after a few hours sleep (less than 5) it was time to shake off the cobwebs and get ready.   

I did receive a nice surprise once I was up – a floral delivery for my upcoming birthday from a special friend in Florida – thanks again Karen!  The flowers are so pretty to look at during these dreary last days of winter.

Poor Noah…his birthday celebration and not only has he been sick to his stomach most of the day, but he woke to find his much loved guinea pig “Hulkfish” (yes that was the name as could only be chosen by a not-quite three year old) had passed away.  He was quite the trooper for the party and would perk up for some gift opening but then have to go and lie down again or head off to the bathroom.

Left the party to come home to grab an hour’s rest, because my other two grandchildren, Makenna and Max were going to be coming for a sleepover.  So that’s been fun, but needless to say we didn’t make it a late night!  Both were sound asleep by 9 and half an hour later I joined them!

So now here it is 8:30 (daylight savings time – it had to be this weekend of course!) and they are still sound asleep.  Which brings me here, literally, to get caught up what’s been happening.

And now Makenna has just stumbled upon me at the computer, so its time to wrap up and see about breakfast and wonder what this week will bring.

Cheers!

Liz

The case of the missing socks...

I am having a hard time putting my fingers to the keyboard and posting a blog. I am stuck writing a short story and Liz and I can only get together about once a month to revise our books. The stories still rattle around in my head but it is the little nuances that come when you are writing that I am afraid I will have forgotten when I get back to the characters.

I think the problem started when I attempted a short story. I love reading short stories and my favourites are Alice Munro/ 2010 Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and Mavis Gallant ,( she has too many awards to mention), is still writing in a garret or at least her home in Paris. Is this not every artist’s dream to swan around on the Left Bank? She left Canada in 1950 to pursue her need to write and earn a living.

Alice Munro will be 80 this year and Mavis gallant 86. So there is hope for me yet. I have been asked, “Why did you wait until now to start writing?” My answer to that is that there is no right time. This is the right time for me, at least to start putting my thoughts to paper instead of just letting them simmer on the back burner. I have been writing for years but mainly kept it all locked in my head. I have written essays, short stories, novels but mostly in my mind. Now I need to unlock those stories and share them.

My writer friends tell me I need to nap more often. They say nothing beats a 20 min nap to get the two sides of the brain working. I just woke up from an hour nap and I am just cranky and feel like going back to sleep.

If you are wondering about the title of this blog, it refers to something I hate to do. That is, match up a drawer full of black socks. Admit it; your sock drawer is the same unless you are like my husband who actually pins his socks together and even turns them right side out. He has never lost a sock!! So while I had my rejuvenating nap so that I could finish my short story, I handed him a bag of about 40 socks that needed to be matched. What else does a man have to do on a Sunday afternoon while watching “Dead Man’s Walk” by that wonderful novelist, Larry McMurtry? As my husband has seen this movie a few times before I did not feel at all guilty as my nap was a therapeutic necessity! I received back 16 pairs out of the 20 I was expecting. I must dig further for the other odd socks, but after I have finished my story.


Oscar night tonight. I have not seen any of the movies yet but will still offer my opinions and critique all the stars. The best dressed and the worst and "How could she wear her hair that way? etc. Love it. I will be so tired tomorrow as I always stay up until the end. They should start at 6pm.

Liz will be back tomorrow from her vacation so we will chat about when we next get together to finish the Great Canadian Novel.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

A Quick Note

I've just read Pam's post, and yes I can verify she has begun her retirement countdown! And not without a certain level of envy do I listen to her post-corporate world plans. But all being well, my time will come soon enough as well.


However I digress. Her post also noted that Caroline missed the Word Match up - so after some searching I found the site where I originally discovered this little gem (among others). The Free Dictionary has all manner of word games and research tools - do check it out. And Caroline - Word Match Up has been returned for your pleasure.


And now the best time of a Saturday afternoon beckons. Some reading and then a nap - bliss!


So on that (quick) note, I will just say


Cheers!


Liz

"This and That"

Thanks to Liz for the “new look” to the Jamie Tremain blog. It looks fresh and new and I hope we can justify it with the content. My sister Caroline has lamented that the word search was missing and I hope Liz attaches it back on for those who like to test their vocabulary. And of course that is what this is all about. Stringing together words and making some sense of them. Creating stories that you hope others will enjoy.

Liz and I will be meeting again in a few weeks to revise a few more chapters. It is a slow process but that’s the way it has to be. It’s my turn to go to Guelph and bring the treats for nibbling as we read and revise and get on the same page about the story. Sometimes we jump ahead of ourselves and can see where they (Dorothy and Paul) might go in the next book. Well, we have to get this one published first and then we can plot the next.

I promised myself I would not do this but...... the countdown to my retirement is 5 1/2 months. Goodbye corporate world with deadlines and productivity reports. Punctuality is not my strong suite so I relish the thought of just doing my own thing when and if I want. I have stopped wearing a watch. If I want to know the time there are clocks everywhere. I will eat when I am hungry and stay up after 9.30-10pm bedtime that I now need to get to work. That’s the plan. I look forward to writing during the day and going for long car rides that my husband and I enjoy. I want to spend more time with my grandsons but we will see about that as four of them will be here next weekend. I may change my mind!

The rest of today I will be writing the short story for our “Challenge”. You can find Liz’s at Jamietremainrememberthename FB page. I will forward my article to Liz to upload as I might sent it into cyberspace. I did one last month called “My love affair with the needles....and yarn”. Nobody dies, but I hope you enjoy the story anyway.

We are not going to “Bloody Words” conference this year as it is in Victoria, BC. Once we start to make some money... is that possible.. we will travel again. There are lots of festivals close by that we can attend so that will suffice. The Elora Writers Festival and Eden Mills to name but a few. I will publish more details nearer the time.
Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

New Look

As you can see I've been busy. 


Pam commented the other day that the blog needed to be freshened up. But why on earth did I decide that 10:00 pm last night was a good time to start making changes!   Frustration became the order of the hour - I found a template that I liked but it didn't work with the layout of info we currently have.  So, for now, this new look will suffice.   She is away this weekend and may not see these changes until later today.  Stay tuned for more changes!


Well winter continues to surprise us here in south western Ontario.  The monster storm forecast for last Wednesday (remember my vacation day?) came and went.  And while it did cause some disruption, the amount of white stuff that covered the ground was less than predicted.  Now take yesterday...the morning started out with bright blue sunny skies and the sun's heat was quite noticeable even through my heavy winter coat.  In the forecast?  Maybe one centimeter by day's end.


Hmph!  By 2 pm the sky had clouded over and reports of a major dump of snow to the south of us was being forecast.  At 4 pm, a curtain of heavy, visibility inducing, snow began to fall quite rapidly and stayed that way for almost the next 6 hours.  Aha..here is the 15 - 30 centimetres predicted - just a few days late!   Its very pretty out there right now, but if I'm smart I'll get out and clean off the car before the work day tomorrow.  We Canadians certainly have to be flexible when it comes to our weather!


On another note, Pam and I were challenged this week to write one short story a month.  Great idea!  So we both started with the opening line, "Someone has to make a decision."    Not sure if Pam has done hers, but I finished mine yesterday.   And for those interested, its posted on our facebook site - JamieTremainRememberTheName


And now I'm getting ready for a visit from my daughter who promises to arrive with Tim Horton's coffee in hand - a great way to get this wintery day started.


Have a great day - whether you are busy or not.


Cheers


Liz

Erotic Groundhogs

Yes, she beat me to the blog. I could get used to this. Lollygagging around in my comfy sweats. I did make myself get dressed though, minus the bra. Oh, you did not need to hear that but let’s be fair, to be truly comfortable....
As you can see from the picture I have a nice view from my office space and it is very relaxing. The only thing that is distracting me is the squirrels and the odd cardinal. The wind is still gusting and the snow still coming down, but it is on the wane. This is Ground Hog day in Canada and parts of the States. It appears that Willie did not see his shadow so we will have an early spring. After today that is welcome news.
I have been challenged by a fellow writer at work to write a short story every month. In turn I have challenged Liz and we will see what we can come up with. Lately my writing has been writing Diversity profiles and an article about my knitting!!... And now I am on about Ground Hogs!!!
My friend and colleague’s chosen field is fantasy and erotica and she is an exceptional writer in those genres. Do not expect any such thing from either Liz or myself!!!. I have just read her latest story and although I was not exactly red in the face I could have had a cold shower after reading. When she sets up her website for her material I will forward it to you for those that have an interest.
I think our blog needs an update. At any rate we need new pictures. I spent a King’s ransom buying new glasses so I can show them off. Someone used the words “Oh you look much younger” She will certainly get a free signed copy of Body Perfect...only thing is, I can’t remember who it was!
I am off to plot my short story and see what I can come up with.
Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

Winter Storm

…and who will blog about it first?  Pam has threatened to post, but perhaps I can beat her to it!

Yes we are both home from work today; I sacrificed a vacation day to play “better safe than sorry”.  Having a commute of more than 50 km on open highway made me decide staying home was the better option.  I visited the weather satellite images quite a lot yesterday and was amazed at the size of the storm system making its way northwards to southwestern Ontario.   I don’t know that we got the accumulation predicted, but its drifting and blowing around in a frenzy so I still feel good that I made the right decision to avoid the highway trek this morning.

Pam, as mentioned, is also at home today.  A mid week ‘bonus’ of sorts for both of us.  I’ll be curious to find out tomorrow how much staff volumes were affected today by this weather system.

Having a “free” day is like starting with a blank page – what to fill it with?  Chores? Reading? Writing? Napping?...so many to choose from and so little time!   Perhaps a little of each will be the best course.  So having said that, I’ll tackle one chore and then go from there.

Have you become a “fan” of Jamie Tremain on facebook yet?   You can find us at JamieTremainRememberTheName.

Well enough stalling I suppose..the sooner I cross off at least one chore, the sooner I can settle on more enjoyable activities – hope you are safe and warm wherever you are if you live in this storm’s path.

Cheers!

Liz

"Sweet Afton"

I’m sorry, but I can’t avoid talking about the weather. That is what we are all about in Canada. Extremes. The summers are hot and humid and in winter we freeze. Today, being January it is freezing.But everything is relative as there are many places in Canada that would be laughing at my description of cold weather.

I am sitting in my small office that is in a cut-off section in our bedroom. My desk is placed so that I can look out the bay window into woods and a pond. It is cold...(-17 with the wind chill of -20) When the pond freezes it is nice to watch the kids skate and play hockey. But like the birds and squirrels they have sense to stay home today and cosy up somewhere warm. However, the sun is shining and the sky blue, but it still does not tempt me to don snowshoes or skis.

Liz and I had a most enjoyable day yesterday revising three more chapters of Body Perfect. Cutting and adding but mostly cutting. We both feel that this is the real writing. Following the voices of the book’s characters they take on a life of their own once we read them out loud. We also made lots of notes for a new novel that we will start when BP is finished. After numerous pots of tea and a stop for lunch we finished the third chapter before Liz left for a snowy journey home to Guelph.

As you know I am on a nostalgia trip at the moment and when I was looking up some info on Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) Scotland’s national poet, known throughout the world as the person who wrote “Auld Lang Syne” and A Red, Red Rose.

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

This is just a few among many poems and songs that he wrote. My favourite was “Sweet Afton” When I was eight or nine I won an award for singing Sweet Afton from the Robert Burns Society and I still like to sing the words to this day.

Flow gently, sweet Afton! amang thy green braes,
Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise;
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream,
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.
This was written in 1791.

So on Tuesday, Jan the 25th around the world, there will be Burns suppers as they are called, where they eat Haggis and (neeps) turnip and mashed potatoes and of course have a dram or two of good Scots whiskey to toast the bard. Oh, and of course the bagpipes. What Scottish event can you have without the bagpipes?

So,from a dead poet to a lunch of Thai food. How the world has changed. Son #2 has arrived to take his Mum for a birthday lunch. Yeah! Who needs to dust anyway!!
Talk soon
Slainte,
Pam